Trash is not a question of individual choice. It is a question of community choice on how we, as a group of people, value the beauty of our environment and exercise responsible use of resources.
No longer is it socially or legally acceptable to throw your trash in the nearest gully or burn garbage in your backyard. How one person disposes of trash does affect everyone around him. Ground water can and will be polluted, and runoff will contaminate the streams and lakes.
The future of Trigg County will be richer or poorer depending on how we react to the question of trash management. The role of government is clear. We cannot individually decide what we feel is right for us. It is not about me or you. It is about the entire community.
Many counties and cities require recycling. This would certainly be a responsible and cost effective way to handle the trash problem. It would mean everyone taking part in the program. This needs to be a door-to-door pick-up as part of the trash removal that happens on a weekly basis.
Both Cadiz and Trigg County should be in the program with a single provider of the service. A tax could be assessed to property owners and the cost negotiated by the county and city. Many times, the cost of recycling is lowered by the value of the recyclables.
In the spring the landscape greens up. Maybe now is the time to green up on trash.
Clark Tingle
Cadiz
